Assyrian Trigas and Russian Dvoikas

Extract

Much has been written about chariots with three-horse hitches in antiquity. Although the triga's use in racing is generally accepted, its suitability for the battlefield is more often questioned. Greek evidence for its use is found in the Iliad and in a few figured documents of the 8th century B.C. and later (Wiesner 1968, 20–2, 66; Chamoux 1975). In Italy the triga was known to both the Etruscans and the Romans (Bronson 1965; Humphrey 1985, 16 f). In the Near East more controversial evidence is found in 9th-century B.C. Assyrian reliefs of war and hunting chariots, for which its “asymetrical” hitch has been considered impractical (Bronson 1965, 102; Nagel 1966, 54; Jacobs 1984/85, 157). This note is to point to the possibility that Ashurnasirpal IPs chariots may not have been unbalanced despite the asymetrical harnessing (Fig. 1).

All ancient harness systems were based on the use of paired animals on either side of a central pole and under a yoke. Consequently, a third horse, added to one side or the other would, by apparently increasing the pull on one side, seem to throw the equipage out of balance; it should move in a circle, like an insect with a broken wing. Indeed, in the racing chariot this has been interpreted as intentional and as helping to cope with the sharp 180° turns of the ancient circus.